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8.1 / 10 Score Cnet Score CNET provides expert, unbiased reviews of products and services. When we assign a score, we use a scale of 1-10. Each product we score is evaluated by criteria specific to its category with most assessing pricing, quality, features and performance. Read more on: How we test MSI Claw 8 EX AI Plus $1,800 at Best Buy Pros Best performance we've seen to date in a Windows gaming handheld
Windows devices support a wider library of games than competitors such as the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch
Bumpers and buttons feel clicky and responsive, joysticks have reasonable tension Cons Slightly too big for my hands (size 7 women's glove) and grip texture is a bit too rough
Performance can be inconsistent from run to run because AI is a black box
Screen doesn't support HDR
Expensive, especially since it doesn't include a case
Would be nice if it had trigger stops
There are three intertwined stories in the MSI Claw 8 EX AI Plus: one about a solid, smartly redesigned Windows gaming handheld; one about the new Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor, which drives it to class-leading performance; and a sadly oft-repeated one about how the Windows implementation still makes me bonkers.
The Claw 8 EX AI Plus joins models such as the Lenovo Legion Go series and Asus' ROG Xbox Ally X, which let you play games from any game store that runs on a PC -- Steam, Epic, GOG and so on. Along with most other computing devices, their prices have gotten pretty painful, thanks to a supply crunch in memory, solid-state storage and processors driven by rich-on-paper AI buyers competing with less profitable consumer uses.
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